Loom picker



Jag). l2, 1943.

INVENTOR Patented Jan. 12, 1943 UNITED STATES EATENT oFElcE LOOM PICKER Homer J. Shivell, Kingsport, Tenn.

Application April 23, 1942, Serial No. 440,129

16 Claims.

The present invention relates to a new and improved loom picker, Aand the method of making the same.

A loom picker attached to a picker stick serves as a buier between the shuttle impact nose and the picker stick. This picker is commonly formed by wrapping a strip of high grade belting leather snugly around three sides of a leather filler or core block to form with said block a buffer, and spacing said strip from the fourth side of said block to form an opening for the reception of the picker stick.

The breakage of such pickers usually occurs as a tear at one side of its loop. But even long before actual breakage, there may be a stretching of the leather and shifting of the filler block which impairs the alignment of the picker head with the shuttle. This misalignment causes the shuttle to strike the picker at an angle, thereby creating angular stresses in the leather of the picker which hasten its eventual failure; but what is more important, in the newer high speed looms even a slight misalignment may so far affect the operation of the shuttle as automatically to shut down the loom and cause the loss of considerable productive time.

I have now found that such misalignment of the picker is caused usually by an unbalanced or unsymmetrical condition with respect to the picker stick and the line of action of the shuttle. This condition is not necessarily cured, however, even if the picker is carefully made symmetrical and accurately mounted on the picker stick. Because of the natural and inevitable stretch in leather, the repeated impacts of the shuttle against the picker causes greater or less stretching of the leather in various parts of said picker, so that it eventually becomes loosened and twisted out of position on the stick.

One object of the present invention is to provide a loom picker affording increased life and improved performance.

Another object is to provide a loom picker highly resistant to stretching under action of the shuttle.

Another object is to provide a picker head which will retain its intended axial position on the picker stick and perfect axial alignment with the shuttle throughout its life.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown a preferred embodiment of kmy invention and several modiiications thereof. These are given with a View to explaining and illustrating the invention and the best manner of embodying .it in practical use. These are not, however, Aintended to be exhaustive nor limiting of the invention, but on the contrary, the drawing and the following description are designed toinstruct others in the invention so that they will be able to em.-

body it in numerous forms and modifications,

each as may be -best suited to the requirements of `any particular use.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side View showing a picker stick with a picker embodying the pres#- ent invention attached thereto and having a conical shuttle-seating recess for the nose of the shuttle.

Figure 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Figure 4 is a section similar to Fig. 2 showing another embodiment of my invention.

Referring to the drawing, the picker IIJ comprises a filler or core block II land Ia straip I2 wrapped tightly around three sides of the block I I to form a buffer I3 with said block but spaced from the fourth side to form `an opening I4, for the reception of the picker stick I5. The filler block II and the wrapper strip I2 are secured together and reinforced by rivets I6 or other fastening means.

The wrapper I2 in the form illustrated in Figs. 1-3 is made symmetrical by skiving the ends and bringing them back t0 substantially the same extenton opposite sides. Instead of this, any other symmetrical form may be used.

As an important feature of the present invention, the wrapper strip I2 is of laminated construction comprising two or more layers of leather cemented together. These layers are split from suitably tanned hide, the ordinary grain leather being removed for other uses, while the iiesh Ysplit is treated to improve its qualities ,as will be described.

In preparing the leather for the wrapper strip I2 of lthe picker, after the raw hide is tanned, the grain is split away from the esh part by a splitting machine, and the resultant flesh split then stretched close to but not quite to its elastic limit. I have found, for example, that stretching the flesh split 15 to 20% of its original length willgive satisfactory results; andthis will exhaust or remove about 'l5 to 90% of its naturally available stretch leaving sufficient residual stretch to prevent damage to the resulting leather and to leave it the desired resilient character.

The flesh split from the Atanned leather is desirably stretched whilein a wet condition and advantageously is .treated with a filler .or sizing while it is still in the stretcher as this will reduce the tendency to subsequent shrinkage. For the same reason it is advantageous to dry the leather before it is removed from the stretcher.

This stretching operation besides removing most of the available stretch in the esh split so as to give a material capable of gripping the picker more firmly, also serves-substantially to remove any lack of uniformity over the area of the leather.

After the stretching process is complete, the flesh split is again run through a splitting machine where the high spots are removed and the strip levelled to produce a piece of leather of uniform thickness.

After the leather has been split, stretched and levelled as described, a number of sections or plies of these stretched flesh splits (two being shown) are secured together by a suitable binder, e. g. a cellulosic cement, to form a laminated strip which is then used for the wrapper I2. I have found it desirable to bind these plies together with cellulose acetate cement as it serves as a satisfactory binder, and at the same time prevents penetration of moisture, oils and grease from one ply to another.

This method of treating leather and the resulting product is described and claimed in a copending application Serial No. 334,299, filed May 10, 1940.

The I'lller block II of substantially rectangular cross-section is also made of a plurality of plies or blocks of leather. rIhese also may be prestretched as described above, the advantage in this case being especially the improvement in uniformity and to some extent, also, the increase in compressibility. For the same reasons it is of great advantage to avoid use of grain leather in the body of the filler block II. Grain leather may be used at the sides Where the filler block II contacts the Wrapper I2, but it is generally advantageous to use only flesh splits for making the entire filler block. The several pieces used to make the ller block may be cemented together in the manner described with reference to -the construction of the wrapper strip I2.

The laminated strip I2 is wrapped around one end and two sides of filler block II With the ends of the strip skived and overlapping in a complementary manner so as to give symmetry of thickness and form to said block, and to form with the block II a buffer head I3 for receiving the impact of the shuttle II. The overlapping ends of the wrapper I2 are advantageously cemented to each other and to the ller block II, e. g. with the same cement as is used in cementing the layers of the strip I 2. -The skiving and arrangement of the ends of the Wrapper strip I2 are, as shown, made so that, when the picker is press molded to a symmetrical form, as shown, and riveted, the wrapper strip will be pressed into the ller block II substantially equally on both sides leaving the block itself substantially symmetrical.

Whenthe picker is to be used in very fine denier weaving, as for example in rayon looms, it is important that it should be free from roughness which might catch on and break the filler threads. I have found that the flesh split, when treated as described and polished on the outer surfaces, is much superior in this respect to grain leather, although the flesh split does not appear as smooth as the grain leather.

The overlapping construction of the strip I2 as described permits the use of a smaller filler block II, and centers this block with respect to the impact face of the picker and the face of the stick I5 within the loop.

With the leather parts of the picker arranged and folded as described, the assembly is molded under very high pressure into a smooth balanced symmetrical unit. This molding under high pressure compresses the filler block I I more at its outer end than at its inner end, as shown in Fig. 2, and thereby gives to the buffer portion I3 of the picker much greater solidity, denseness and firmness Where it is most needed, and makes the lle'r block more resistant to the wedging action of the shuttle nose as it drives against the picker.

After the molding operation, the overlapping end sections of the wrapper strip I2 and the ller block I I are firmly secured together by the rivets I6.

After the picker has been constructed and assembled as described, a conical recess 2I may be formed in the impact side of the picker to afford a seat for the nose of the shuttle at the instant of impact. If no other provisions were made for the guidance of the shuttle at the instant of impact, any uneven wear in the picker might eventually tend to shift this recess from the aXis of the picker. To eliminate this possible condition, I provide a guiding hole 22 through the buier portion I3 and block II of the picker and along the proper line of action of the shuttle nose, thereby providing a path of least resistance, and directing the wear produced by the shuttle nose.

Although my invention is not limited thereto, the form and proportions shown in the drawing have been found desirable for practical operating conditions.

By means of the present invention, use is made of that portion of the leather, which by itself has hitherto had little commercial value and has been comparatively inexpensive, so that the cost of the picker is correspondingly reduced. Furthermore, the flesh splits with their high tensile strength when most of their available stretch has been exhausted, will withstand heavy duty Without excessive stretching, so that the twisting and loosening of the picker on the picker stick is effectively resisted.

The removal of the grain part also serves to avoid cracking of the leather, which usually begins in the grain, and thereby prolongs the life of the picker. Furthermore, the flesh splits treated as described, permit better bending and molding of the leather, and with greater accuracy, into the desired shape and dimensions. Finally, the uniformity of the stretched flesh splits, especially when treated and laminated as described, avoids internal stresses and -distortion in leather which haveV heretofore been the source of most of the troubles encountered.

The use of the improved material for the picker is particularly valuable with the balancedsymmetrical construction described, since with this construction the shuttle may` be centered both on the impact surface of the picker and on the face of the picker stick. The symmetrical distribution `of the material on the buier head I3 on both sides of the linev of action of the shuttle minimizes the tendency to unequal wear, which usually causes the shuttle to 'deviate from this line of action. The invention, however, need not be limited to this form, but gives important advantage even when used with the ordinary unsymmetrical form of leather picker; or, in fact, inany'form which may be desired.

The vfeatures `ofconstruction, set yforth above;

make it possible for the pick-er to v be so accurately shaped and dimensioned with respect to the shuttle and the stick that it Will continuously perform its intended function, especially in modern high speed looms with such precision that even after long wear the deviation from proper axial position can be kept Well within the one sixty-fourth of an inch which would shut down such a loom.

In Figure 4 is shown a modified form of the invention in which instead of using a laminated strip l2, a single esh split strip l2a is used and is laminated in situ by wrapping and cementing together several layers when the picker is assembled and formed. A modified form of filler 'block Ila is also used in this example. In other respects the treatment and use may be the same.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of making a loom picker, which comprises splitting leather, removing the grain split from the flesh split, stretching the flesh split, wrapping the stretched flesh split around a iiller block to form a buffer therewith while allowing sufficient clearance to form a loop for the reception of a picker stick, and securing said ilesh split and said filler block together into a unit.

2. The method of making a loom picker, which comprises splitting leather, removing the grain split from the flesh split, stretching the flesh split, cementing together a number of such stretched flesh splits to form a laminated leather, wrapping a strip of said laminated leather around a filler block to form a buifer therewith while allowing sufcient clearance to form a loop for the reception of a picker stick, and securing said laminated strip and said block together into a unit.

3. 'I'he method of making a loom picker, which comprises removing the grain leather from a flesh split, stretching the flesh split to an extent near, but less than, its elastic limit, Wrapping the stretched flesh split around a filler block to form a buffer therewith and a loop for the reception of a picker stick, and cementing said flesh split to said filler block and to overlapped portions of itself.

4. The method of making a loom picker, which comprises removing the grain leather from a ilesh split, stretching the flesh split to an extent near but less than its elastic limit, cementing together a number of these stretched esh splits to form a laminated strip, wrapping a strip of said laminated leather around a filler block and a core, and securing said laminated strip and said block together to form a buffer, and removing the core to leave an open loop for the reception of a picker stick.

5. The method of makinga loom picker, which comprises removing the grain leather from a flesh split, stretching the flesh split until 75 to 90% of its natural stretch has been removed, Wrapping the stretched flesh split tightly around the sides and one end of a filler block to form a buifer therewith leaving a loop for the reception of a picker stick beyond the other end of said block and securing said flesh split and said filler block together into a unit.

6. The method of making a loom picker, which comprises removing the grain leather from a nesh split, laminating a plurality of pieces of flesh split leather to form a ller block, stretching such flesh split leather until the major portion of its natural stretch is exhausted, laminating, .cementing together and Wrapping around said filler block a number of layers of such stretched flesh split, leather to form a buffer with a loop beyond one end thereof fitted for the reception of a picker stick, and securing said strip and said block together into a unit.

7. The method of forming a loom picker, which' comprises removing the grain leather from a ilesh split, stretching the flesh split until the major portion `of its natural stretch is exhausted, laminating and cementing such stretched flesh split leather and wrapping it over a ller block so that its ends overlap along one end and two opposite sides of said filler block with an open loop behind said block for the reception of a picker stick, molding the strip and block in Wrapped relation and under high pressure to form a balanced symmetrical buffer of said filler block and the overlapping sections of said strip, and securing said filler block and said strip in said wrapped relation to retain its molded balanced symmetrical shape.

8. The method of forming a loom picker, which comprises removing the grain leather from a esh split, stretching the flesh split until the major portion of its natural stretch is exhausted, cementing a number of such stretched flesh splits together to form a laminated wrapper strip, skiving the ends of said strip, wrapping it over a ller block so that its ends overlap and said skived ends lying symmetrically on opposite sides of said filler block with an open loop behind said block for the reception of a picker stick, molding the strip and block in Wrapped relation and under high pressure to form a balanced symmetrical buler of said filler block and the overlapping sections of said strip, and securing said ller block and said strip in said wrapped relation to retain its molded balanced symmetrical shape.

9. A loom picker having a buffer, and a strap of flesh-split leather from which the grain has picker stick, said strip consisting essentially of flesh split leather Which has been separated from the grain leather and pre-stretched to remove the major portion of its natural stretch.

11. A loom picker having a buffer portion, and a laminated leather strip wrapped around and holding said buffer and forming a loop therebehind of size and form adapted to .be fitted over a picker stick, the several layers of said strip being flesh split leather which has been separated from the grain leather and pre-stretched to remove a substantial portion of their natural stretch and cemented together.

12. A vloom picker comprising a laminated leather filler block having a plurality of layers of flesh split leather pre-stretched and cemented together to form a unit, and a strip of flesh-split leather from which the grain has been removed and which has been pre-stretched to exhaust a substantial portion of its natural stretch, said strip being wrapped yaround a portion of said block to form a buier therewith and spaced from o ne side of said block to form a tensile loop of size adapted to be fitted over a picker stick to hold the buer securely and accurately positioned thereon.

13. A loom picker comprising a laminated leather filler block having a plurality of layers of pre-stretched flesh split leather removed from the grain leather and cemented together to form a unit, a laminated leather strip wrapped around a portion of said block to form a buier therewith and spaced from one side thereof to form a loop accurately formed for the reception of a picker stick, the several layers of said strip being iiesh split leather which has been separated from the grain leather and pre-stretched to remove the major portion of the natural stretch and cemented together, and means for fastening said block and said strap rmly together.

14. A loom picker comprising a ller block of yieldable cushioning material balanced and symmetrical in form and impact resistance with respect to a direction of impact, a leather strap which is wrapped around a portion of said block to form therewith a buffer and being balanced and symmetrical with respect to a plane through the longitudinal center line of said stick and said direction of impact, said strap being looped away from the back of said block and the resulting loop between the block and the strap being accurately formed to t over a picker stick, said strap comprising at least one complete circuit of esh split leather, which has been separated from their grain leather, and pre-stretched to remove the major portion of its natural stretch, and means for fastening said block and said strap together.

15. A loom picker as dened in claim 14 in which the buffer is provided with a hole having its axis extending through the major portion of asoasoa said buffer along the direction of impact of the point of a shuttle, said hole being countersunk at its outer end to approximately the angle of the nose of a shuttle to be received therein.

16. A loom picker adapted to be attached to a picker stick, which comprises a laminated leather filler block having a plurality of layers of esh split leather separated from the grain leather, and of substantially uniform stiiiness, secured together into a unitary ller block, said ller block being balanced and symmetrical in form and structure with respect to a direction of irnpact, a laminated leather strap wrapped around said block to form therewith a buier balanced and symmetrical with respect to a plane through the longitudinal center line of said stick and said direction of impact, said strap being looped away from the back of said block and the resulting loop between the block and the strap being accurately formed to t over a picker stick, the several layers :of said strap being esh split leather which has been separated from the grain leather, pre-stretched to remove a major part of the natural stretch, between and 90%, and cemented togethler, said leather. being solidly compressed and molded in said symmetrical, balanced form, said buer having a hole extending therein beyond the natural penetration of the shuttle nose and centered with respect to said direction of impact for centering and guiding the shuttle in its impact, and for predetermining the direction of wear in the buffer resulting from said impact, and, the outer end of said hole on the impact side of said picker being countersunk to form a seat for the shuttle nose, and means for fastening said block and said strap together.

HOMER, J SI-IIVELL. 

